23 of James Bond's Most Memorable Gadgets

23 of James Bond's Most Memorable Gadgets

Defending Great Britain and the rest of the free world takes more than dashing looks, a quick wit, and specific instructions on how to mix a martini. James Bond has always relied on fantastic technology that lives somewhere in the haze between reality and fiction.

The recent Daniel Craig version of Bond has relied a bit more on fisticuffs, climbing up scaffolding, and brooding in the shower than the Bond of yesteryear. However, the introduction of Ben Wishaw as MI6 quartermaster "Q" in this autumn's Skyfall may be the turning point for a more gadget-heavy 007 film. The early trailers already promise a Walther PPKS 9-mm short coded to Bond's palm print so only he can fire it.

Skyfall is the 23rd official James Bond film, so we gathered 007 and MI6's 23 most memorable gadgets. Should your favorite not make the cut, Her Majesty's government has granted you a Licence to Comment.

23. Spike Umbrella, For Your Eyes Only (1981)

23. Spike Umbrella, For Your Eyes Only (1981)

The mid-period Bond films starring Roger Moore may have the most gadgets overall, so some of them are very... specific. And whenever Moore's 007 takes a stroll through Q's lab to get a sneak peek at what the wizard of deadly gizmos is up to, the trek is always special. Like the time he saw a killer umbrella.

Should you ever be taking a stroll along the Strand with a nefarious double agent and the clouds are about to burst, this is the opportunity you've been waiting for. Q designed a parasol that grows spikes and snaps shut, dispatching the bugger back to whichever evil Iron Curtain country he came from.